The role of the university in maintaining vernacular heritage buildings in the southern region of Ecuador

Over the last decade, the University of Cuenca (UC), located in southern Ecuador, through its Faculty of Architecture and its City Preservation Management (CPM) project, has progressively become a key player in addressing the complex task of conserving architectural cultural heritage. In particular, UC has directly contributed to broadening the scope of conservation practices by encouraging the protection of modest examples of vernacular earth-based architecture. This article reflects on innovative conservation strategies for this type of UC-led architecture, where the greatest strength has been the adoption of a participatory approach in different urban and rural contexts considered as living labs for research. Besides, this contribution shows the potential role that the academic actor can play as a platform for the exchange of scientific and empirical knowledge at a local and international territorial scale.